TikTok eyes 60-minute video uploads, drawing ‘mini YouTube’ criticism

It’s official. TikTok goes longform. The applying, which is dealing with a possible ban within the U.S., confirmed to TechCrunch on Might 16 that it was testing the power for customers to add 60-minute movies. Purportedly, this characteristic is offered to a restricted group of customers, because the platform confirmed to the outlet that it received’t be making the characteristic broadly out there anytime quickly.

The characteristic was first found by social media advisor Matt Navarra. When TikTok first got here out, it had a 15-second restrict. This quickly turned to 30, then 1 minute, then 3 minutes, and now, at current, TikToks may be as much as 10 minutes lengthy. This expanded timescale has been in place since February 2022, and persons are actually making the most of it.

Now, persons are watching full TV exhibits and flicks on TikTok, with NBCUniversal even importing full episodes of Peacock sitcom Killing It to the platform (albeit, cut up into 5 full elements).

However some creators and consultants aren’t so positive about this swap to longer-form content material.

A ‘mini-YouTube’

“I really feel like there are such a lot of creators on the market who got here to TikTok as a result of it was the short-form video app,” creator Nikki Apostolou stated in an interview with CNN. “And now they need to be like ‘mini YouTube,’ and I really feel prefer it leaves out creators who got here there for the short-form content material.”

Krysten Stein, a digital tradition scholar on the College of Illinois-Chicago, instructed the outlet why she thinks TikTok is evolving into longer-form content material.

“The mannequin of the short-form video was actually helpful when TikTok first launched, they may get individuals actually rapidly on the platform, it’s steady scrolling and it goes quick,” she stated.

“I feel TikTok is now [thinking], ‘We have to present [advertisers] that we are able to maintain individuals staying on one video longer,’” Stein stated. “However I’m to see how viewers are going to reply as a result of what has stored individuals on the app is that the movies had been quick.”

 Picture generated by Ideogram